Good Company
by NatesMama
Summary: A series of one shots and drabbles about the friendship between Booth and Cam.
1. You Don't Fool Me

**This is a new series based on a list of 50 sentences I wrote about Booth and Cam's relationship. (**_**50 Words About Booth and **_**Cam…Link in my profile.) I love their dynamic and I loved writing about it so much I decided to expand on the idea. Plus, some of the people I like most in the world are big Cam and Booth fans, and they're always good inspiration. **

**As always (and you know how bad I suck at posting regularly) this won't be posted in any organized way, and the chapters do not follow any set timeline. **

**My endless love and devotion to Mary, Tracy and Bailey for reading and reviewing and beta'ing for me. **

**This one is for Rosita, who loves her some Booth and Cam. **

* * *

Chapter One: You Don't Fool Me

_June, 2008_

Cam stood in the doorway to Booth's office and watched as he leaned back into his chair and sighed. The stress and pain of the last two months was written all over his face, and with the closing of their last case, she could see that her old friend was affected more than she or anyone else had realized.

"Cam?" Booth's voice invaded her musings and she almost blushed, embarrassed to have been caught staring. She entered his domain with a small smile and a proffered cup of Starbucks.

"Hey, big man." She placed the still-hot coffee in front of him and watched, amused, as he took a deep breath and inhaled the deep, rich scent before sipping the brew carefully. As he closed his eyes in caffeine-induced relief, she decided to plow right in with the reason for her visit. "We've missed you around the lab lately."

Swallowing, Booth stifled a wince at Cam's blunt comment and the wave of shame that unexpectedly washed over him. "Yeah, well…that's Brennan's domain, not mine. You squints usually give me what I need and save me the trip over." Even he knew that his excuse sounded lame.

"Uh huh." She settled into the chair across from him, primly crossing her legs and leveling her piercing stare at him. "And when was the last time you were able to bullshit me, Seeley?"

He glared at her out of the corner of his eye as he turned his chair to stare out the windows that shone bright with early morning Washington DC sunlight. He blinked slowly, expecting his oldest friend to continue her prodding, and when she continued to say nothing he sighed heavily and dropped his gaze to the blank screen of his computer.

Booth could make out his own reflection in the dark, hazy reflective surface and even he could see the new lines that surrounded his eyes and mouth, the natural result of two of the strangest months of his life thus far. Resigned, he took another sip of his coffee and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. "I should have seen that there was something wrong, Cam."

"You're not omniscient, Booth."

"It's my job, dammit!" He slammed his fist down on his own thigh, ignoring the immediate pain for the deeper, internal throb around his heart. "Every single day, I went into that lab and I watched that kid working with Bones, talked to him about women, gave him a hard time…and I missed it." Booth let his head tip back against his chair. "Fuck. I can't believe I missed it."

Unexpected tears pricked her eyes as Cam watched her friend finally vocalize his despair. "We all missed it, Seeley. I saw him every day, all day. If anyone should have…I mean, I was a cop, too. He fooled us all."

Shaking his head against the chair, Booth continued to look skyward. "It's broken something in her."

Her response was quiet, almost whispered. "I know."

"And I helped with that."

"You couldn't have known. She was supposed to have been told."

"Yeah."

"Yes."

"Doesn't change the fact, though, does it?" His head swiveled to the side, eyes pleading with her to disagree. And as much as she wanted to, he deserved the truth.

"No. No, it doesn't."

A smile cracked his sad countenance and a half-laugh escaped him. "No bullshit, right?"

"You know it."

"I'll run by the lab later today." At her raised eyebrow, he smiled, this time genuinely. "I promise, Camille."

Cam nodded and stood, absently brushing her skirt down. "I'll hold you to it." She moved to leave the office and then paused and turned back. "And don't call me Camille."

"Then don't call me Seeley."

She tapped the doorway with her closed fist. "Love you."

"Love you too, Cam. And thanks."


	2. A Kind of Magic

A Kind of Magic

_November, 1993_

Grunting with effort, Seeley threw another shovelful of snow behind him into the already-impressive pile he'd collected. He hadn't quite started sweating under the t-shirt and jacket he was wearing against the winter chill, but he could feel it coming on. With a sigh, he stopped for a minute and rested his forearms on the handle of the shovel, contemplating the reasons he'd taken it upon himself to add his hot neighbor's sidewalk to his own when he came out to remove the ten inches of snow dumped on DC the night before. _Hot neighbor. Yeah, that about covers the reasons, doesn't it, Seel?_ He had seen the beautiful woman who had recently moved into the unit next to his and while they had exchanged flirty smiles, they'd had yet to meet formally. Thinking again about her cute little compact rear end moving under her slim jeans as he watched her walk to her car the other day, Seeley shook his head at his own inner guy and continued to clear the walk in front of him.

Cam watched, hidden from view by her curtain, as her gorgeous neighbor huffed and puffed his way through the task of shoveling, sighing as she could see even through a few layers that he had a spectacular build. When his head unexpectedly popped up and looked her right in the eye, she fought the urge to pull back and threw him a smile instead. Slowly, she moved away from view and headed for the kitchen to start the kettle, hoping to offer him a cup of hot chocolate…after all, it was the very least she could do to repay him.

Seeley knocked at the door with more bravado than he was feeling, suddenly unsure that the grin he had seen from the woman in the window was more than just a look of gratefulness. He'd imagined that the way her lips curled sexily in tandem with the slight nod of her head was a blatant invitation, but as the seconds passed and there was no answer he began to doubt himself.

Cam threw the door open, the same grin Seeley had seen earlier firmly in place. "Hi." She said, breathless from her quick run to her bedroom to change her clothes. "Come on in, uh…"

"Seeley. Seeley Booth."

Cam moved out of the way as he entered the combination living room/kitchen area and began to shake off the remnants of snowfall from his boots and jacket. "I'm Camille Saroyan, but…"

"Don't call me Seeley."

"Don't call me Camille."

They both laughed, the simultaneous protest easing the way for some of the tension to dissipate between them as Seeley stomped his feet on the small rug inside the door and removed his gloves. "So what _should_ I call you?" He asked, as one eyebrow rose in amusement.

"Cam." She returned his look. "You?"

"Booth. Just Booth." He looked around the sparse apartment, still a little off kilter. "Nice place. Nicer than mine, anyway. Certainly cleaner." He laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Oh, well…I don't spend too much time here, so…."

"You stay with your boyfriend a lot?" She was glad to see he looked disappointed at that prospect.

"No, no boyfriend. I'm a med school resident. I don't really have time for anything else."

He was impressed. "That's amazing…I mean, great." He sighed internally at his own lack of smooth reply. He liked his women smart, but he thought this woman was definitely too smart for him. "That's a lot of work, I hear."

Cam nodded. "Yes, but it's going to be worth it." She glanced down at his feet for a moment. "So…what do you do when you're not here? I mean…not _here_ here, but…"

Booth smiled. "I just got home from my first tour in the Army. I'm stationed at the Pentagon for a few months until I get another assignment."

"Wow. The Pentagon. That's impressive. What do you do in the Army?"

He shuffled his feet for a moment, and then cleared his throat nervously. "Oh, you know…this and that. Whatever Uncle Sam tells me to do." He replied, feeling noticeably uncomfortable.

Grinning mischievously, she let him off the hook. "Ah so, it's like that, then. You could tell me, but then you'd have to kill me."

"Yeah." He gave her a genuinely grateful smile. "Something like that."

They regarded each other silently, neither quite knowing what to say, until the shrill whistle of the kettle on the stove interrupted the standoff.

"Oh!" Cam exclaimed, heading for her kitchenette. "I almost forgot. I put some water on; I thought maybe you'd like something hot." She busied herself with cups and Swiss Miss packets until she realized that the reason she was suddenly feeling so warm was that he was standing right behind her. She turned slowly, hands on her hips, and found Booth had removed his jacket and boots and was currently less than a foot from where she stood, towering over her with an indecipherable look on his face.

"Hot chocolate?"

Unavoidably caught in his piercing eyes, Cam nodded slowly. "I just thought…you know, that you would need something…to warm you up."

Booth glanced over Cam's shoulder at the still-empty cups, and then back at his pretty neighbor. "And if I told you…" He leaned forward enough to breathe her in, eyes darkening at her exotic scent. "…that I'm not a big fan of hot chocolate? Is there something else you might have to warm me up?"

Cam's breath shuddered as Booth moved to press against her, his chest brushing hers lightly as his hands rested on the counter on either side of her hips. She looked up at him through half-mast eyelids. "Well…what did you have in mind as an alternative?"

Just before his lips touched hers, he smiled. "Surprise me."


	3. I'm Going Slightly Mad

I'm Going Slightly Mad

_June 2015_

"Do you think Brennan will show up?" Angela gnawed her bottom lip nervously, checking the back of the church for the one hundredth time that morning.

Hodgins shook his head. "Of course not." He shot her a pointed glance. "Would you?"

"Of course not! I still can't believe…" Her words were cut off by Booth's appearance at the front of the sanctuary, broad smile and tuxedo in place and Parker at his side. "Oh God, this is really happening."

Sweets leaned over Hodgins and patted the artist's knee. "Angela, they're all happy."

With a huff, she crossed her arms over her chest. "Not everyone."

The congregation stood as one as the bridal march began to play and Cam was escorted up the aisle by her elderly father, her skin-tight white dress rustling with each step. She grinned at Booth, ignoring everyone and everything else around them. Once she'd reached her clearly excited groom, she leaned over to kiss her father's cheek and took the hand of the man she was about to pledge to spend the rest of her life with. Together, they turned to the minister in anticipation.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today before God and his temple to witness the joining of these two people…"

* * *

Caroline sat at her table near the door of the reception hall, shaking her head. "Who would have thought?"

Andrew nodded and finished his drink with a flourish. "Not me. I figured him and Doctor Brennan would be together forever. And I'm pretty new around here."

"That's because it was obvious, cher'."

Watching Cam and Booth dance contentedly to the soft beat of their song as they shared several sweet kisses, Andrew shook his head again. "Not to everyone."

* * *

Okay, people. You know what's coming….

April Fools!


	4. Crazy Little Thing Called Love

Crazy Little Thing Called Love

_April 2011_

It was a subtle change, insignificant in the ebb and flow of the busy work day and especially not very noteworthy in the sterile but bustling-with-activity confines of the Medico-Legal Lab.

But it was there. Had been there, possibly for weeks. And she had missed it.

Cam had just stepped out of autopsy looking for Angela, who admittedly wouldn't be hard to find as she generally spent her mid-days resting on her office sofa, when she noticed Booth and Dr. Brennan together outside the latter's office. The partners stood close, something that had been happening more and more lately. With the self-imposed, chasm-like distance Booth had tried to put between them while Hannah was around, Cam had often wondered if their past so-unpartner-like intimacy would ever re-materialize. Smiling with relief that everything in their little world was righting itself, she moved towards them, intent on pulling Brennan into her case update with Angela, when it happened.

Booth leaned almost imperceptibly forward, and then reached up to move a loose tendril of hair off Brennan's forehead. His hand lingered for a moment, brushing down the cascade of her locks to her shoulder, where it rested while his thumb rubbed small circles on the exposed skin of her collarbone. In what looked to be a practiced response, Brennan's own hand came up to cover Booth's briefly, before moving up along his arm to his shoulder, and then behind his back. She stepped even closer and placed her palm against the small of his back over his suit jacket, pressing lightly. Then, as if they had choreographed it, they both dropped their hands and took a step away from each other.

Shaking herself out of her dazed observation of the partners, Cam turned quickly on her heel and headed back to her own office, before remembering her original destination. She turned again and found herself standing face to face with Booth.

Noticing her confusion he asked, "Everything okay, Camille?"

"Fine." She nodded and half-grinned, "How 'bout you, Seeley? Everything okay?"

He smiled, and she was happy to note it was a contented smile that she hadn't seen from her friend in a long, long time. "Good. Everything is real good."


	5. Get Down Make Love

Get Down, Make Love

_November, 2006_

With a delicate grunt, Cam lifted her sweat-slicked torso from Booth's and flopped to the pillow beside him. Grinning, he ran one still-trembling hand down her side before turning slightly to take in her satisfied perusal of his naked form in all its glory.

"See something you like, Doctor Saroyan?"

"Clearly." She laughed, leaning up to kiss him quickly before rolling over to step into the en suite bathroom. Checking her reflection in the mirror, she turned on the tap and splashed some water on her face. Leaning out the door for a moment, she shook her head at his smug grin. "Stop that, Seeley. You're entirely too full of yourself."

Booth laughed outright, naughty smile firmly in place. "I have something so dirty I could say to that…"

Cam rolled her eyes and moved back to the bed, settling in next to him and pulling the sheet over her. "You know we should probably talk about this whole…thing we've been doing here."

He snorted at her vague description of their almost-nightly activities. "This 'thing', huh? You mean screwing our brains out every chance we get?" He moved closer to her and began tracing patterns on her exposed thigh with one finger. "What, exactly, is there to talk about?"

"Seeley, come on. Seriously?" She glared at him, irritated that he was clearly avoiding the issue. "We do this, you know. Get together every five years or so, fall into bed, make no promises and always end things amicably." She picked absently at a loose thread on the comforter, her unease evident.

"Hey…hey, Cam…" Booth sat up and leaned forward, forcing her to make eye contact. "I know. And I hope you know, too. You're important to me and this is never going to be something casual. Not between us."

"But it never works out."

He shook his head sadly. "No. You're right, it doesn't." He leaned back against the headboard and pulled her to his chest, wrapping his arms around her torso. "And you know why it doesn't work. Never has."

"Yeah." She sighed. Tilting her head so she could see his face, she continued. "And I am really fine with that. I am. You're a great guy, the sex is amazing and we'll always be friends no matter what."

"But…"

"Please don't take this the wrong way." She felt him tense underneath her, but resolved to finish this long-overdue conversation. "I mean, not a couple of weeks ago you were hooking up with Rebecca. And I know you said that couldn't happen again, that there's too much baggage there and I get that. But are you and I doing this to avoid putting the effort into _other_ relationships?"

"What? Cam, there isn't any other relationship in my life right now." He clenched his jaw over the half-truth. "And I don't like that you minimize what we are to each other like that. This last time with Rebecca was just me falling into old habits…which you are not. You're important to me, Camille." His repeated declaration only strengthened her decision to have this discussion.

She picked up his hand and laced their fingers together, comforting his sudden ire. "I know that, Seeley. And you're just as important to me." Smiling resolutely, she plodded on. "But I don't want us to be some sort of emotional weigh station in between the really meaningful relationships we may or may not be trying to avoid."

He pulled away suddenly and rolled off the bed, hands on hips. "What are you implying?"

She sat up straight and never wavered from his intimidating glare. "You know exactly what I mean. And who."

"We're just partners!"

"Oh for God's sake, Seeley. Calm down. I'm not accusing you of cheating…on anyone." Her pointed look almost made him flush. "I'm just saying that as nice as this always is, I don't want us to miss out on another kind of happiness while we're just fooling around."

Booth's head dropped as he looked at his feet and avoided her piercing gaze. He was a very good man and she hated like hell that she had to do this to him, but it was for his own good. And maybe hers, too.

She waited patiently as he wrestled with whatever internal debate he was intent on having, and then welcomed him back into her bed when he'd decided whatever it was he was deciding and lay down next to her again.

He put his warm hand on her leg, rubbing softly as he met her eyes steadily. "There's nothing to avoid. And that's the honest truth, Cam. I hope you know that I would never use you like that."

She ran her fingers through his tousled hair. "I know that. But…you're sure? Because you know I love you and I don't want to be the reason you miss-"

He leaned down and ended her protest with a kiss. "There is no reason to worry. I promise you."

Cam sighed into another kiss and pulled him closer, not sure if she was comforted because she truly believed him…or because she just wanted to believe him.


End file.
